


The Stars And How To Rewrite Them

by Kiramochis



Series: Stardust Magic [1]
Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: (i guess), Alternate Universe - Hoshi Meguri (IDOLiSH7), Alternate Universe - Royalty, Childhood Friends, F/F, F/M, M/M, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2019-10-18 06:59:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17576111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiramochis/pseuds/Kiramochis
Summary: Losing her mother at age six was a burden Hesychia was prepared for, falling in love was not





	1. A Tale Left Forgotten

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't happy with how Lacuna ended up going, so instead of trudging on I rewrote it almost entirely. I found the translations of how Erin and Orion met, so that was partly what caused me to restart Lacuna and it will be incorporated into this story (A scared up Orion is something I need)
> 
> The names are all the same, but if you need a refresher here it is:  
> Tsumugi: Hesychia (later shortened to Chia)  
> Otoharu: Themis  
> Sousuke: Kratos  
> Gaku's Mother: Hespera  
> Tsumugi's Mother: Asteria  
> Anesagi: Charis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While it isn't necessarily important, I wanna say Chia is wearing here: She's wearing a white long sleeve dress shirt underneath a black overall dress with a black bow tied around her neck. She's also wearing a set of black mary jane shoes and white tights

At no older than six, Hesychia stood in front of her mother’s grave, holding a bouquet of lilies and roses stained white. She gently placed the flowers at the base of the headstone and looked at the words engraved on the stone.

_Here Lies Lady Asteria_

_A Daughter, A Wife, And A Mother_

Wide, naïve pink eyes stared at the words on her mother’s headstone. She was only a child, and yet she already lost one of the most important people to her. Unlike what she had expected out of a funeral, the sky was a clear blue and wasn’t dreary at all. The tears of her distant family where more than enough to fill the void that the sky had left.

The sound of footsteps following up behind her gained Hesychia’s attention. Her father stood behind her. He wore an outfit of black, accented with gold and teal. A white lily was tucked into the pocket of his funeral clothing.

The older man sat on the grass of the graveyard, not caring about staining his clothes. With legs crossed, he patted the inside of his thigh, inviting his daughter to sit in his lap. Hesychia sat down in the hole her father’s legs at provided.

“You hadn’t cried at all during the funeral.” Hesychia hummed in response to her father. Not a single tear had been shed out of her eyes as the priest gave his prayers and her grandparents, aunt and father gave their eulogies. When she looked inside the coffin to see her mother for the last time, her lips hadn’t even quivered. “I was beginning to wonder if you where alright.”

“I’m fine, Papa.” Hesychia looked down at the grass. Her father pulled out the flower from his coat and tucked it behind her ear. Hesychia looked up at her father, who smiled down at her.

“You’re a bit too strong for a six year old, you know that right?” His long finger bopped the end of her nose. “You can cry, you know. Everyone else has left.”

Hesychia looked back at her mother’s grave. Rereading over the words and thinking back to the months of watching her mother’s health falter, her heart began to quake with sorrow. Her lip quivered drastically, and suddenly fat tears rolled down her cheeks. Hesychia turned around and threw her arms over her father’s neck, sobbing into his jacket. Her father gently wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He rubbed her back and kissed her temple.

“I don’t want Mama to go!” She cried, no longer caring about making a scene.

“I know little one.” Her father said. “I know.” With soft tears rolling down his own cheeks, Hesychia’s father stood up, still holding his crying daughter in his arms.

As the child continued to cry, her father carried her to the carriage that was waiting for them.

“Will she be alright?” The driver asked.

“She’ll be fine, she’ll tire herself out on the ride back to the palace.” The coachman looked at the man bewildered.

“We’re not returning to the estate sir?”

“No.” With that, Hesychia and her father stepped into the carriage. Once they were sitting down, Hesychia removed herself from her father’s hold. The coachman cracked the reins of the horse, and the funeral came to an end.

“We’re not going home Papa?” Hesychia asked, tears still running down her face. She seemed to have calmed down, but was still struck with grief. Her father pulled her close and kept his arm around her.

“We are. You’ll be living in the palace with me.” He gently smiled at her. Hesychia was confused, why wouldn’t she be returning home? The palace wasn’t home; the royal family and their attendants lived there. She lived in a large home in the countryside.

“Since your mother can’t take care of you, you have to live with me, Hesychia.” She nodded and her father wiped away a tear. “I think you’ll like it there, lots of the servants have children your age. You can all play together in the garden, and you can take lessons with Prince Orion.”

“I can meet the prince?” Hesychia asked. Her father nodded.

“You might even become friends.” Hesychia looked out the window at the rolling countryside. Her tears had stopped now, but her eyes felt itchy and her head hurt. Was she really going to meet the prince? Not many people know much about the Laman Royal Family. They refuse to step outside the palace walls so many people outside of high ranking nobles and the staff don't know what the royal family looks like.

She felt herself smiling at the idea of making friends with the prince and the staff’s children.

*-*-*

As the carriage rolled onto the front steps of the Laman Palace, Hesychia found herself staring in awe of it. The walls where made of black iron, like much of the buildings in Lama. The coachman opened the door on her father’s side. He gently held out his hand for Hesychia to take, and helped her out of the carriage.

Surrounded by several armed guards, the two made their way into the palace. Just like the outside, the inside was made of black iron. A plush red carpet cushioned their footsteps as they walked.

“You’re late, Themis.” A feminine voice called out. A woman with shoulder length pink hair came fuming at the two. Steam was almost pouring out of her ears. “The funeral was supposed to have ended two hours ago and you-” The person’s gaze was settled onto Hesychia.

“Is this your daughter?” Sheasked, looking over Hesychia with wonder in her eyes.

“Yes, she is.” Themis smiled down at Hesychia. “Hesychia, this is Charis, my assistant.”

Charis knelt down to Hesychia’s level. “What a darling little angel she is!” Charis squished Hesychia’s face in the palms of her hands. The young girl giggled at the affection. “Does Kratos know she’s here?” Dread sounded in her voice.

“We had discussed it before hand. I was on my way to notify him of her arrival.” Charis stood up, removing her hands from Hesychia’s face.

“You didn’t tell him she was coming to live with us, did you?” Themis shook his head. Charis sighed and placed her head into the palms of their hands. “Your daughter will be an orphan, you know that right?”

“I hope you’ll be a good parent for her then.” With that, Themis began to walk away. Hesychia stepped forward to join him, but Charis grabbed hold of her arm.

“Come along now little one, Aunt Charis is going to take you out to the garden while the adults talk.” With a cute little response, Hesychia followed Charis out into the garden.

The walk wasn’t long, but Hesychia found herself struggling to keep up with Charis’ long stride. They would occasionally look back to see the small girl far behind them, stop for a moment to let her catch up and continued the cycle.

Hesychia had guessed that Charis had grown tired of playing catch up, and the next time they stopped, she picked up Hesychia and carried her on her shoulders.

“You’re lucky you’re cute or else I wouldn’t bother helping you.” She said playfully. Hesychia giggled and rode comfortably on Charis' shoulders until they reached the garden.

The royal garden was acres of grass and flowers as far as the eye could see. Hesychia’s eyes widened in awe at the garden. Charis lead her to a gazebo that could be found at the end of a stone path. A woman sat in the white structure, drinking tea and reading a book.

“Good afternoon, my Queen.” Charis said as she removed Hesychia from her shoulders. The woman looked over at Charis and smiled. “I wasn’t expecting to see you in the garden.”

The Queen was an elegant looking woman, with wavy hair as black as night and eyes that shone a light gray. Hesychia was in awe of the beautiful woman before her. “It’s rare to see you here Charis. You usually avoid the garden.”

“Unforeseeable circumstances caused me to be here.”

“Would that ‘unforeseeable circumstance’ be the cute little girl by your side?” Charis nodded. “Come here little one. It’s alright.”

Hesychia gently stepped onto the bench of the gazebo, and crawled her way to the Queen. She sat down beside her and looked up at the woman in wonder.

“What’s your name, my child?” The Queen asked.

“Hesychia, your majesty.”  The Queen cooed at the little girl.

“What a beautiful name.” The Queen smiled.

“Hesychia, do you know the name of your Queen?” Charis asked, sitting down across from the woman and girl.

“Queen Hespera.” Hesychia smiled. Queen Hespera smiled at Hesychia.

“Both of our names begin with h-e-s.” The Queen said.

“They do!” The little girl smiled. The queen ruffled Hesychia’s hair.

“Is she the child of any of the workers?” Queen Hespera asked Charis.

“She’s Themis’s daughter. She’s come to live with her father since Lady Asteria has passed.”

“I see.” The Queen looked over at Hesychia sullenly. Hesychia placed her hands into her lap and looked down at her feet.

“I’ll make sure my idiot of a husband doesn’t do anything to harm her. We can’t have a brute like him ruining a cute little girl like her.” The Queen ran her fingers through Hesychia’s hair.

“Of course My Queen.”

Queen Hespera picked up Hesychia and placed her in her lap. Hesychia looked up to see the beautiful woman smiling at her. “You know, I’ve always wanted a daughter.”

“I’m pretty sure Prince Orion wouldn’t want to hear that." Charis said as Queen Hespera ran her fingers through Hesychia's hair. "Speaking of the Prince, where is he? His sword fighting lessons are around this time correct?”

“They should have just finished and he should be returning to his room right about now.” Queen Hespera said. “Knowing my hard headed son he’s still practicing.”

“Should we go to stop him?” Charis asked, and the Queen nodded.

“Come along now Hesychia. We can’t leave you unattended.” With that, the three made their way to where the Prince usually trained. It wasn’t far from where they where sitting.

The sound of metal clanking and grunts filled Hesychia’s ears. A young man, probably ten at most, with silver hair was holding a sword and fighting against a man who was presumed to be his teacher. Queen Hespera cleared her throat to gain their attention, but it fell on deaf ears.

Growing more impatient, the Queen tried again, but louder. The two seemed to have heard her this time, and stopped immediately.

“My Queen.” The teacher bowed.

“Good afternoon Mother,” The boy said to the Queen “Charis. Who is this?” He took one look at Hesychia, who quivered and hid behind Charis. The two older companions giggled at her actions.

“Orion, this is Hesychia, Themis’s daughter. She has come to live with us.” Prince Orion placed his sword back into its sheath and walked over to the cowering little girl. She hid more of her face behind Charis. He was a bit more intimidating than what she was expecting. The young prince raised an eyebrow.

“Hesychia’s a mouthful. I’m going to call you _Chia_ instead. Understand?” Hesychia nodded. “Good. I shall take my leave then.” With final words of parting to his mother, teacher and Charis, Prince Orion left the garden.

When the Prince was out of sight, Queen Hespera and Charis sighed.

“Don’t mind him Hesychia, the Prince always acts like this.” Charis said, petting the cowering girls head.

“Chia is cuter of a name for her.” Queen Hespera smiled. “I like it.” Hesychia smiled back the Queen.

“Come along now you two, lets head inside and see if we can find a room for sweet little Chia.” The Queen said. Charis picked up Hesychia and placed her on her shoulders.

They caught up with the Queen, who was rambling on about what to get for Hesychia, listing off some things and rejecting others. It seems like the Queen really did like the idea of having a little girl to spoil, even if she wasn’t technically her own.

“Shouldn’t we make sure everything is all right with Themis and King Kratos first, your majesty?” Charis asked, and the noble woman stopped dead in her tracks.

“The Queen is the highest power in Lama.” She said with a wicked smile, and Charis was more than happy to send it right back to her.


	2. A Place To Call Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated already? Yeah I'm shocked too

Queen Hespera gracefully lead Hesychia and Charis through the palace. The little girl looked around in awe at the grand and noble structure.

“Do you like it here, Chia?” Charis asked.

“It’s very pretty!” Hesychia said with wide eyes and a smile. The Queen giggled and looked back at her little guest. The three traveling companions made their way to the throne room. The only disruptions in their path was the bows and greetings of servants. Some of the female staff workers would coo at Hesychia, calling her a cute little girl, practically made to be spoiled.

The queen stopped dead in her tracks in front of a large set of doors. From behind the walls all three of them could hear shouting, one of the voices sounded like her father, but the other was an unknown voice. Queen Hespera sighed, putting her head in her hands.

“Open the doors.” The Queen told the guards who stood beside the doors to the throne room.

“As you wish, my Queen.” Charis set down Hesychia as the grand, heavy looking doors to the throne room opened. The voices that were yelling from inside grew in volume without the door to muffle them.

Themis stood a few feet away from the King’s throne, while the King himself was no longer seated in his grand throne. The announcement of Queen Hespera’s arrival went unnoticed by the bickering men.

With the grace of a swan, Queen Hespera stepped into the throne room. She signaled from Charis and Hesychia to follow her. With quivering legs, Hesychia grabbed onto Charis’ pant leg and walked deeper into the throne room. She was scared, she wanted to cry. She wanted to rush over to her father’s side and cling onto his leg, begging him to comfort her. But she would be stronger than that.

“Both of you that is enough!” Queen Hespera shouted, silencing the two men. Themis looked back at the Queen, who was fuming out of the ears. “There is a young lady present. I expected you two to discuss this like civilized men, but instead I find you acting like animals.” The angry queen stepped closer to her throne.

“This does not concern you Hespera!” The King shouted, stiffening his stance to appear taller.

“Like hell it doesn’t!” The Queen fumed. “You seem to be forgetting who also rules this star, Kratos.” She snarled and sat down on her throne. “Sit down before I tie you down.” The King reluctantly sat back down at his throne. The Queen looked back at Hesychia with a gentle smile, a complete 180 from her actions to her husband. “Come here child.”

Hesychia removed herself from Charis’s pant leg and slowly walked to the base of the throne. The King and Queen’s throne sat on an elevated platform, only accessible by a small staircase that was covered with a red carpet.

“Please excuse my brute of a husband, Chia.” Queen Hespera said gently. King Kratos scoffed at the words. “He can be a bit hard headed at times.”

Hesychia looked over to the King with a curious gaze. His silver hair matched that of his son’s, and his eyes were a brilliant shade of purple that remained hidden behind a set of eyeglasses. His appearance was remarkably similar to that of the young prince, so there was no question about his legitimacy. The king raised an eyebrow at Hesychia.

“Kratos you’re scaring her.”

“She’s a child.” He said, with no particular tone in his voice.

“Of course she is! She’s only six years old.” Queen Hespera said, defending the little girl.

“What is your name, child?” King Kratos asked Hesychia.

“Hesychia, my King.” The little girl said, standing taller than usual. She wouldn’t lose her will against him, and she couldn’t afford to be scared. The King seemed taken back by the boldness of a small child. His shock melted into a smile, and then a hearty laugh. The Queen looked back at her husband, visibly shocked.

“This is no laughing matter Kratos!” She boomed.

“Themis!” King Kratos said once his laughter had ceased. “Your daughter can stay.”

“It’s not like I would have allowed you to kick her out anyway.” Queen Hespera said, crossing her arms.

“Thank you, my King.” Themis stepped forward to Hesychia and ruffled her hair.

“Think nothing of it.” With a wave of his hand, one of the guards that stood at the side of the throne room stepped forward. “Make sure that Hesychia’s belongings are brought over from her home and that she has a comfortable room.”

“Yes my King.” The guard bowed.

“I think we have a room available right next to Orion’s. She can stay in there.” Queen Hespera said. She looked down at Hesychia and smiled, who beamed a brilliant smile in response.

“I’ll show her to her room.” The guard that King Kratos had called over said. With a solute, the guard lead Hesychia out of the throne room. Charis and Themis followed in suit.

The back of adults and their one child walked through the halls of the Laman Palace. The maids that would pass by would smile at Hesychia. The walk was long, and when Charis saw the little girl struggling, she picked her up and put her on her shoulders. Themis looked over at Hesychia and smiled, ruffling her hair.

“Remember the way to your room, Chia. I won’t be able to take you every night.” Charis said as they turned into the West Wing. “Although it is rather weird that a child who isn’t of noble blood to be housed in the West Wing, particularly near where a member of the Royal Family sleeps.”

“I think the Queen has taken a liking to Hesychia.” Themis said. “You know how she can be, when she likes something or someone, not even Kratos can prevent her from spoiling them.”

“Do you remember when she took a liking to those blue roses that grew in the garden last year? She was so obsessed with them that Kratos almost made it the royal flower to get her to shut up about them!” Themis and Charis laughed at a memory Hesychia had no knowledge about.

“Does Queen Hespera like flowers Aunt Charis?” Hesychia asked curiously.

“She loves them. She spend all of her free time in the garden because she adores them so much.” Charis said. “I personally don’t understand how she can be outside for so long.”

“You get burned more easily than anyone else I know, Charis.” Themis said, smiling. Charis looked back at Hesychia’s father with a frown.

“My skin is delicate.” She said.

The four walked in silence as they dove deeper into the West Wing. Hesychia wonders if she’ll see the prince again. His room is right next to hers after all, surely they’ll see each other during their daily activities.

As they turned a corner, they were met with the young prince, who was holding a wooden violin in his hand.

“Good afternoon my Prince.” Themis, Charis and the guard said as Prince Orion grew closer.

“Good afternoon to you as well.” He looked over at Hesychia, and from her perch on Charis’s shoulders she could see the lack of emotions in his eyes. She liked his eyes, they were a really pretty shade of silver. They reminded her of the Queen.

“We’re leading Hesychia to her room, would you like to come with us?” Themis asked. “Her room is right next to yours. You two should become acquainted.”

Prince Orion looked like he seemed to be weighing his options. Either go to violin practice, or join a little girl he barely knew to her room.

“I’ll join you.” He said matter of factly.

“Excellent!” Charis clapped. She removed Hesychia from her shoulders and set her onto the ground. “Get along now you two.” Charis pushed Hesychia closer to Prince Orion.

“Good afternoon.” Prince Orion said.

“G-good afternoon my Prince.” She smiled nervously. Prince Orion chuckled.

“You’re so nervous.” He smiled, and Hesychia’s face heated up. The adults behind them chuckled. Hesychia frowned and looked away from the young prince. This was embarrassing! She was able to hold her own against the King, but the second she was in the presence of Prince Orion she was unable to hold her composure. Maybe he would go easy on her because of her age?

The five of them walked together, with the adults talking, but the children hadn’t said a word to one another.

“Prince Orion isn’t very sociable is he?” Charis asked, watching as Hesychia and the prince walked in silence.

Prince Orion’s ear twitched, and he looked at Hesychia. “Chia, what do you like to do for fun?” He seemed to have taken offence to being called unsociable. Boys can be so weird at times.

“I like to play music and play outside.” Hesychia smiled.

“What instrument do you play?”

“Mama taught me how to play the piano for a while.” Hesychia looked down at the ground. She held the hem of her skirt in her hands, trying hard not to cry.

“I didn’t mean to upset you.” Prince Orion said nervously. He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket. “Here.”

“Thank you.” Hesychia gently took the cloth from the young prince and wiped her eyes. She went to return it, but Prince Orion held out his hand.

“You can keep it.” He said with a light blush on his face. Hesychia smiled and the adults behind them cooed in delight. “I hope we can play together someday. I’d love to hear you.” The young prince looked away from Hesychia. She felt her cheeks growing warm at the words.

“I do believe we have arrived at our destination!” Themis said, a bit to happily with a clap.

“This one is my room,” Prince Orion pointed at the door they stood right in front of “and this one is yours.” He pointed to the door on the left.

Charis stepped out of the pack and opened the door to Hesychia’s room. She made a noise of disgust and immediately the rest of them all gathered to their side.

“This is no room for a child!” The room itself was composed of black iron walls like the rest of the palace. In the far corner sat a king sized bed and adjacent from that was a fireplace. A large set of windows on the side furthest from the door were also greeted with a set of doors that lead to a balcony. A wardrobe sat closest to the bed.

“I don’t see what’s wrong with it.” Themis said, walking to the middle of the room. “Of course we’ll have to get a gate for the fireplace but other than that the room should be perfect for Hesychia.”

“The problem is that it’s boring! How can you expect sweet little Chia to have fun here?”

“Her day will mostly be occupied with lessons, and if I know my daughter she won’t spend much time in here anyway.” The two children watched as the adults bickered. Prince Orion sent the guard away, leaving them alone.

Hesychia looked over at Prince Orion, who only shrugged. “How about I stay with the prince tonight?” She asked. Themis and Charis looked over at Hesychia flabbergasted, and truth be told, Hesychia didn’t know what she was talking about either.

“Since my things aren’t here yet, and I have no clothes, why should I stay in my own room?”

“Your a bit smart for a child you know that right?” Charis asked.

“Well, if the prince will allow it, I guess it’ll be alright.” Everyone looked over at Prince Orion, who was spinning his violin in his hands, thinking about his options. Like beforehand, he made his choice quickly.

“I would be honored to have Chia room with me for the night.” Hesychia smiled brightly at the prince. He looked surprised at the action, and turned away. “I’m going to practice now.” The young monarch dashed out of the room.

“Wait! Let me come with you!” Hesychia smiled and ran to catch up with the young prince.

“These two are going to be a hand full.” Charis said, and Themis nodded.

*-*-*

Hesychia sat at the piano bench and watched as Prince Orion played his violin. She watched in awe as the bow glided across the strings of the wooden instrument. His teacher paced around him, clapping his hands to keep the prince in rhythm.

“Excellent your highness!” The teacher praised him, but he seemed to think nothing of it.

“Did you like it, Chia?” The prince asked her. The young girl smiled and nodded.

“Prince Orion is a wonderful player!” The prince smiled at Hesychia and the teacher was shocked.

“It’s rare to see the prince smile like this!” He said, smiling. Prince Orion frowned at his teacher. The older man ruffled the young prince’s hair and turned over to Hesychia.

“Can the young lady play anything?”

“I can play the piano!” The teacher smiled brightly.

“Perfect!” He raced over to where they kept the music scores and shuffled about them. He picked out a song and closed the cabinet. He set one part of the sheet music onto Prince Orion’s stand and then handed Hesychia the same score.

“Liebesfreud?” Prince Orion said as he read over the music sheet. “You haven’t taught me this yet.”

“I was going to wait until you where a bit older, but with the young lady being here, I thought now was a perfect time to learn it!” The teacher clapped. He picked up Prince Orion’s stand and placed it closer to the piano. He then went to grab Hesychia a pedal extender and placed it under the elegant instrument.

Hesychia got into place, and looked over at Prince Orion. He was frowning as he looked over the music score, trying to sight read.

Hesychia placed her fingers onto the pearly white keys of the piano, and read over the notes given on the score. It was a bit more difficult than what Hesychia was used to, but she didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of the prince and his teacher.

The teacher lead the count off, and when his hands fell, the two began to play. Prince Orion’s bow glided across the violin, playing the notes almost perfectly. He seemed like such a natural Hesychia almost forgot to play.

Together, the two played the lighthearted song in almost perfect sync. Hesychia never played with a violinist before, so this was new to her. The teacher smiled and flipped the pages of the sheet music for her. He hummed along and paced around the two as they played. It was a lot like the songs her mother would teach her, songs that made her happy and reminded her of running around outside, picking flowers in the large yard of the estate.

When the song came to an end, the teacher clapped. “Wonderful you two!” Hesychia smiled sheepishly while Prince Orion rubbed the back of his neck.

“Wasn’t the song pretty my Prince?” Hesychia said, looking at the young monarch happily.

“It was. I wanna perfect it soon.” He looked over at Hesychia. “Together.” The teacher laughed at the response of his pupil, calling him as studious as always.

“You’ll be here with us next time, right my dear?” The teacher asked Hesychia.

“Of course!” She smiled, and the teacher shouted his joy.

“I now have two little darling pupils to teach.” Prince Orion looked over at Hesychia and gave her a small smile. She wondered if the prince was happy that Hesychia would be learning music with him.

*-*-*

Later that night, after Hesychia was stuffed full with food and properly cleaned, she was sent off to Prince Orion’s room wearing a night dress given to her by one of the maids whose child had grown to big for it.

Prince Orion’s room was about the size of hers, and didn’t look any different except the placement of the bed and fireplace, which sat on the opposite side of her’s.

“Good evening my Prince.” Hesychia said as she walked in. The young prince was too busy practicing his sword fighting skills, not paying mind to the child who walked in.

“Good evening Chia.” Prince Orion set the sword down. “Did you have a good bath?” Hesychia nodded. “That’s good.”

Prince Orion placed his sword above his fireplace on a set of pegs. The fireplace was roaring with life, creating a comfortable warmth in the room.

“I hope everything will be to your liking.” Prince Orion said, walking over to Hesychia. “Your things should be here tomorrow evening.”

Hesychia nodded. They spent almost all day together, and she was beginning to become more comfortable around him. Which she deemed was a good thing, as until said otherwise, she would probably be with him at almost all hours of the day.

Prince Orion sat down on the side of the bed closest to the balcony doors. “You can sleep over here.” Prince Orion patted the side of the bed he left empty. “They think it’ll storm tonight, so I want you to be furthest from the windows.”

At the mention of an oncoming rainstorm, Hesychia went fridged. She wasn’t very fond of storms, especially not thunderstorms. Prince Orion seemed to have noticed her frightened state.

“Are you alright?” He asked, slowly getting off the bed.

“I’m fine my Prince.” Hesychia said, and sat down on the bed. It was soft, and Hesychia was certain that she’d fall asleep when she was under the warm covers.

“Are you sure?” Hesychia nodded. She laid down underneath the covers, and Prince Orion followed.

“Good night Chia.”

“Good night Prince Orion.”

The young prince turned onto his side, facing the balcony window. Hesychia stayed on her back, staring at the ceiling. She was thankful for light of the fireplace, as it kept her out the dark. She couldn’t seem to sleep, but she didn’t feel the need to get up and run around either. Maybe it was because she was sleeping in the royal palace, and not in her own home.

Or maybe it was because of the light raindrops that began to fall onto the roof. Soon, the light raindrops turned into heavy raindrops. And then the heavy raindrops were accompanied with thunder. When the first shot of thunder quaked the sky, Hesychia burrowed herself into the thick blankets with a squeak. Normally by now, she would run into Mama’s room with her stuffed rabbit in hand. Mama would pull her into a hug and sooth her by rocking back and forth and rubbing her back.

But both Mama and her rabbit where gone, and she didn’t know where Papa was. Hesychia curled herself into a ball, trying to sooth herself.

At the next clap of thunder, she screamed, but clasped her hands around her mouth. Prince Orion was sleeping beside her, she couldn’t wake him up. She poked her head out and looked at him. He was still sleeping. So she didn’t wake him, good. He seemed to be deep in sleep, so she couldn’t rely on him for comfort. She shuffled under the covers once again and tried to conceal her cries at the next clap of thunder.

When the comfort of the blanket was removed from her head, Hesychia looked up to see Prince Orion frowning. “You said you would be alright.”

“I’m sorry my Prince.” Hesychia cried. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Well you did.” His face softened a bit. “If you’re scared you could have woken me up.”

“I didn’t want to wake yo-” She screamed and threw herself closer to Prince Orion, hoping to find the same comfort her mother would have provided.

The Prince went ridged for a moment before relaxing. He wrapped his arms around her and laid her back down onto the bed.

“We’re only doing this tonight, got it?” Prince Orion said, mumbling his words.

“Okay.” Hesychia said, and she slowly found herself falling asleep, now that she had the comfort she needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Liebesfreud (lit. Love's Joy) acts a bit of foreshadowing and not because I cried during Your Lie in April
> 
> Sometimes I forget that at this point in time Chia is six and Orion is 10. I wanna write them like adults
> 
> In this house we stan Queen Hespera


	3. Friends, Or Something Like That

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter felt a bit weird writing, so I'm sorry if this isn't that... good. I just wanted to get it out as soon as possible

Over the next few months, Hesychia had grown used to her new lifestyle inside the palace. She spent most of her time with either the young prince or Queen Hespera, who seemed more than happy to pamper the little girl. She would gift Hesychia with beautiful dresses and stuffed toys to play with. Prince Orion would accompany her to some of her lessons and she would sit in the garden while he practiced his sword fighting. Hesychia would watch as the prince sparred against his teacher.

During their music lessons, their teacher would focus more on her than Prince Orion, taking the time to help her more than his actual student. He would say that the young boy was a natural at the violin, but with Hesychia’s young age she needed more attention than he did.

In the evenings, she would drag some toys to her father’s office and play quietly in a corner as he did his work. Charis would occasionally join her in a game, forgetting her own work in favor of giving the young girl attention. And while it was rare, sometimes Themis would set aside his work to join the two of them.

She would join her father and his assistant for dinner, and would sometimes be accompanied by the Royal Family. She would sit between Queen Hespra and Charis, who liked to teach her etiquette as they ate. Themis would smile and chip in, while the king and prince would eat in silence. King Kratos seemed less than enthusiastic to spend time with Hesychia, and almost didn’t acknowledge her presence at all most of the time. Queen Hespera made up for the lack of attention by the king, sometimes almost smothering the child in affection.

Hesychia currently sat in the music room, her stuffed rabbit sitting on top of the grand piano as she played. It was a tune she made up on her own, straight from her own emotions. Her teacher and Prince Orion had left long ago, and the young prince was probably sparring in the garden as she played. There was a set of open French windows inside the music room, letting in the summer breeze that ruffed her blonde hair. The door to the music room stayed open, allowing the tune to escape the room and bleed into the hallway. On the occasion that a maid would walk past, they would smile and kept the melody in their back pocket.

Hesychia wasn’t paying attention when a set of footsteps walked into the music room and stopped by the piano. When she felt the intruders presence, she stopped playing and looked up. King Kratos was looking down at her, his hands behind his back. His purple eyes were hard like steel and held no emotions within them.

“You’re a good player.”

“Thank you sir.”

King Kratos went to grab a chair and sat down beside Hesychia at the piano. He crossed his right leg over his left and folded his hands, placing them on his lap. “Are you not going to continue?”

“I’m sorry sir.” Hesychia placed her fingers onto the piano and continued to play the made up melody from before. This time however, there wasn’t as much emotion in the tune. She was scared, frightened of the stern king sitting beside her. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to get lost in the melody.

Hesychia looked over at him from the corner of her eyes from time to time. He hadn’t moved an inch since he sat down.

“Stop.” King Kratos said, and he opened his eyes. Hesychia’s hands left the keys immediately, and she looked over at the older man.

“Was it to your liking, my King?”

“Yes. You play like your mother did.” Hesychia had a vague memory of her mother’s piano playing. What she did know is that many people loved hearing her play. They said the music she would create was enough to rival a prodigy, a prime example of someone who worked hard and reached the level of a genius in less than a lifetime.

“Thank you, my King.” Hesychia smiled.

“You look like your mother as well. The resemblance is remarkable.” As gently as he could, King Kratos look Hesychia’s face in his hands and turned it around to get a better look at her face. The young girl would often be told she looked like her mother, and that she would grow up to become a beautiful young lady. However for some reason, it didn’t feel like the same coming from the king. It was like he was trying to grasp to reality, trying to accept that she really was her daughter.

When he was finished with his investigation, King Kratos released Hesychia’s face. He stood up from his chair, and began to leave. He stopped shortly before the doors to the music room and looked down. Hesychia leaned back to see what stopped the king, and saw Prince Orion standing at the doorway. His clothes were covered in grass stains, and dirt smudged his face.

“Father, spar with me!”

“Again?” The king asked. The prince nodded. “Have you gotten better since the last time we spared?”

“Of course! I’m able to beat my teacher now!”

“That’s not a very great feat, but if you insist.” With his hands clasped behind his back, King Kratos left the music room.

Prince Orion looked over at Hesychia and walked over to her.

“Did he do anything to upset you?” Hesychia shook her head. “Good. Come watch us spar.”

“Are you sure my Prince?” Prince Orion nodded.

“And you don’t have to call me all those ‘my prince’ titles and stuff. We’re friends, so you can just call me by my name.” With a smile, Orion grabbed Hesychia’s hand and pulled her off the bench, not giving her a chance to respond to his command. “Come on, let’s watch me beat my dad at a sparring match!”

*-*-*

Orion fell onto his behind outside in the garden, his sword out of arm's reach. Hesychia looked over at the fallen prince. After he talked such a big game on the way to the garden, he didn’t live up to his promises.

“Don’t waste my time like this again Orion.” King Kratos shielded his sword and walked away, leaving the children on their own.

Hesychia got up from her seat on the grass and walked over to the young prince. She held out his hand to help him up. “Are you alright, Orion?”

Orion put his hand into her’s. “I’m fine.” He said in a small voice, clearly embarrassed by being bested by his father. She pulled him up to his feet and the prince dusted off his butt. “I’ll get him next time!” He said with a smile.

“I believe in you Orion!” Hesychia smiled. Orion walked over and grabbed his sword and placed it inside its sheath.

“I bet I looked pretty uncool there huh?” Orion said, fiddling with the hilt of his sword. Hesychia shook her head.

“I thought you looked really cool!” Orion blushed at the praise and looked away, muttering a _if you say so_. “Orion looks really cool with a sword, even if he loses!”

“I’ll become better, just you wait!.” Orion smirked, placing his hands on his hips. “And I want you to be there when I finally win against my father!”

Hesychia smiled. “Of course! I’ll always root for you, Orion!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They left the rabbit in the music room...
> 
> This will probably be the final chapter focusing on Orion and Chia as kids. The next chapter will be a six year time skip, and I'll introduce some more characters! Probably from Bestia or Alba since I'm still hopelessly in love with Fang and Carnelian
> 
> And on this episode of 'How on earth do I write Yaotome Sousuke interacting with kids?'


	4. Welcome To The Ballroom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please take my Ballroom e Youkoso references it's the only thing that keeps me going these days

Sitting on the piano bench, Hesychia stared at the music score in front of her. Her teacher had gently placed the music in front of her and had given Orion the violin accompaniment.

“Danse Macabre.” Orion read out loud, flipping through the score. “Why this piece?”

“Foreign delegates from Bestia are visiting next week, and the king and queen would like you two to perform for them while they visit.” Their teacher said, a smile on his face. Hesychia flipped through the score, reading over the notes she was supposed to play. She was supposed to play for foreign delegates from Bestia?

“I thought Father hated Bestia.” Orion said, fiddling with his bow. “Bestians aren’t exactly welcome everywhere they go.”

“It was the Queen’s idea. We need lumber from them, and they need steel from us.” Hesychia looked down at the piano keys with knit eyebrows. She only heard of Bestia briefly in her studies. It’s a star where the blood of animals course through their veins, giving them some animal like features. Because of this, on some stars they’re treated as less than human. When she was a child, Hesychia dreamed of meeting someone from Bestia, to see what they really looked like.

Orion looked over at Hesychia. “Something wrong, Chia?”

“No of course not!” she replied quickly “I was just over thinking the meeting, that’s all.”

Orion raised an eyebrow. They had known each other for six years now, and he could read her like a book. Orion knew when Hesychia was happy, when she was hesitating, and when she was scared. If he knew what was going on inside her head, he didn’t voice it. He only nodded and faced their teacher.

“You want us to master this piece in less than a week?” Orion asked, curiosity in his voice.

“Unfortunately. While the meeting was being planned for months, the idea of having you two play for the delegates is a recent idea.” Their teacher gave a weak laugh. “But I trust you two will be able to perfect it in time!” It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than them.

“What do you think Chia? Think we can blow them away with our playing?” Orion asked, his cocky smile appearing out of nowhere.

Hesychia nodded. “If it’s Orion, I know we can please the delegates!”

“Excellent!” Their teacher called out, clapping his hands. “We’ll begin immediately!”

*-*-*

Hesychia walked out of the music room, her fingers sore from practicing. She lost count of how many times she had gone through their piece. As he walked beside her, Orion looked down at his fingers, worry painted across his face.

“Something wrong, Orion?” Hesychia asked. Orion looked over at the girl and nodded.

“I’m fine.” He said. It was a half assed excuse, but Hesychia didn’t pry into it. “What do you think the Bestian delegates will be like?”

“I don’t know. I hope they’re nice.” She smiled at Orion. “And I hope they like our performance.”

Orion nodded. The two walked comfortably in peace, making their way to the garden for Orion’s sword fighting practice. Since he kept beating his former teacher, he had gotten a new one with more experience in combat than the former. He had been training under him for five years now, and he still hasn’t won a sparring match. Orion loved it, he felt like he was getting better everyday.

“You don’t have the join me you know. Don’t you get bored?” Orion asked as they stepped out into the garden.

“I enjoy watching you spar.” Hesychia said with a smile. “You look cool with a sword.” Orion’s face heated up at the comment. He ruffled her hair.

“And how many times do you plan on telling me that?”

“Until you believe it!” Hesychia smiled widely.

Orion’s teacher, Pallas, stood in the middle of their usual sparring spot. The tip of his sword sat in the ground, and his legs were spread apart. Pallas was an older man, maybe in his late 40’s, with light gray hair that held a blue tint. His eyes where a shade of dark blue, almost black that held no light or shine in them. Hesychia didn’t like him very much.

“Your late.” He said.

“My apologies sir Pallas, our music lessons went on longer than expected.” Orion pulled out his sword and Hesychia sat down in the grass. She tucked her legs underneath the skirt of her dress.

“Music is for the weak. A true Laman values combat over something as frivolous as music.” Pallas said. He was always so focused on training Orion in the ways of the sword that he ignored almost everything else. Hesychia was sure he didn’t even approve of her watching their lessons.

They didn’t say anything else on the matter and began to spar. Hesychia watched carefully as Pallas instructed Orion on what he was lacking. She didn’t exactly understand the viewpoint many of the upper classes in Lama had. Was military power really more important than anything else? Sure, Lama had the strongest military among the stars, but was that all there was to life? Was to have a strong military really that important that all other factors were dropped?

A maid walked up to Hesychia, her hands held gently in front of her.

“Lady Hesychia,” she whispered into her ear “your father requests your presence in his office.”

Hesychia nodded and got up, dusting off her behind and followed the maid to her father’s office.

*-*-*

Themis’s office was one of Hesychia’s favorite places inside the castle. The black iron walls where hidden by numerous bookshelves and paintings. There were a few plush chairs decorated with green fabric and a coffee table in the middle, right in front of his desk.

“You wanted to see me father?” Hesychia asked as she stepped inside. Right away she saw the familiar black hair of Queen Hespera sitting down in one of the chairs. There was a tea set sitting on the table.

“Sit down, Hesychia.” The girl did as she was told. She sat down in the chair next to Queen Hespera’s.

“Is something wrong father?” Hesychia looked at the queen, wondering if she would give some insight to the situation.

“I presume you’ve heard that Bestian delegates are coming to visit next week?” Themis asked, and Hesychia nodded.

“Yes I was practicing the piece Prince Orion and I where assigned to play for them this morning.”

“How do you like the piece?” Queen Hespera asked, taking a sip of tea.

“I love it. I wish I had more time to perfect it.” Hesychia spoke honestly. It would be a shame to rush such a beautiful piece, she wished she was able to memorize and perfect it more before the delegates arrived. Orion most likely felt the same way. He liked to do things perfectly, and he liked to take the necessary amount of time to perfect it. Hesychia doubts he thinks they have the proper time to perfect Danse Macabre.

“How would you like to play it at a ball?” Queen Hespera asked, setting down her tea cup.

“A ball?” Hesychia asked, and the queen nodded. If she and Orion where to play Danse Macabre at a ball, wouldn’t that mean they would have to attend it as well?

“Of course you’ll have to attend.” Themis said, smiling. “You can say no if you want.”

“There isn’t any universe in which I would say no!” Hesychia smiled. She had the opportunity to play the piano at a ball! She was never allowed to attend the balls that the queen would throw, being considered too young to attend. Why in her right mind would she decline this offer?

The queen looked at Hesychia and smiled. “Wonderful! The ball will be held while the Bestian delegates are here, so don’t worry too much, alright?” Hesychia nodded.

“We’ll have to get her something proper to wear, I’ll have Charis take her down to the tailor tomorrow to get fitted.” Themis said. “If I’m able to come I will.”

With a smile on her face, Hesychia was dismissed from her father’s office. She softly closed the door behind her, still in her daze about the royal ball. Come to think of it, did she even know how to dance? Thinking about it some more, she didn’t know how to waltz.

Hesychia rested her back against the door of her father’s office. What was she going to do? She didn’t know how to waltz, and she didn’t know how to get lessons either. It probably wasn’t too late to ask for lessons, but that would be too embarrassing for Hesychia to ask for.

“Maybe Charis can help me.” Hesychia wondered. The assistant adviser should be somewhere. Maybe the library? With a skip in her step, Hesychia walked down to the library to see if the assistant adviser was there.

*-*-*

“You want to learn how to waltz?” Charis asked and Hesychia nodded. Hesychia was able to find the assistant adviser in the library like she had guesses. Charis set the quill she were holding down. “Well luckily for you, I happen to be the best dancer in the Royal Court, outside of the Queen mind you. Of course I’ll teach you.”

Hesychia beamed. “Thank you so much Charis!” The young girl pulled the assistant adviser into a hug. Charis stiffened at first, but then relaxed and playfully pushed Hesychia off. Hesychia waited patiently as Charis cleaned up and then they lead her to the ballroom.

*-*-*

The ballroom of the royal palace was more extravagant than Hesychia had expected. White marble lined the walls, replacing the black iron walls that formed the rest of the grand building. Six stone columns created a ring around the center of the ballroom. Tall windows made of stained glass lined the sides of the room. Each window showed a different part of the creation of the stars, a fairy tale Hesychia loved. A small section was carved out for an orchestra to play in, and above it was a balcony for the king and queen to sit in and watch their guests mingle. A glorious silver chandelier that was decorated in diamonds sat in the center of ceiling, casting a beautiful light inside the hall.

“We’ll start with the basics.” Charis said, taking the role of the lead for practice. “Your left hand will rest on the lead’s shoulder,” Hesychia hesitantly placed her left hand on Charis’s shoulder “and your right hand will be held in his left hand.” The two clasped hands. “When I move my right foot, you’ll move your left.” The two slowly began to dance, Charis gently leading Hesychia across the floor.

“You’re doing wonderful so far Chia!” Charis praised, and Hesychia smiled. She looked down at her feet for a moment, watching her black boots glide across the floor, and trying be mindful of Charis’ feet. The two began to laugh as they moved. This was so much fun!

When the released, Hesychia spun around with arms open wide. “That was so much fun!” Charis watched as Hesychia spun around the ballroom like an eager child.

“We’ll keep coming here everyday after your music lessons until the ball. By then, you should be a master at waltzing!”

“Thank you so much Charis!” Hesychia ran up to the assistant adviser and threw her arms around them, pulling them in for a hug. She wrapped their arms around the girl and pat her head.

“Shall we continue?” Charis asked.

“Of course!” And with that, they began their lesson once more.

*-*-*

Two hours later Hesychia and Charis left the ballroom with smiles on their faces. Hesychia ended up losing track of how many times she had stepped on Charis’ feet when they sped up the tempo. Her feet hurt, but it was a good kind of pain.

“Thank you so much Charis!” Hesychia smiled. Charis ruffled her hair, saying that she must head back to work.

“We’ll meet again tomorrow, okay?” Hesychia nodded. With a farewell, Charis made her way back to the library to continue her work.

Deciding to find Orion, Hesychia made her way to the garden, hoping he was still there. If not, it would be a wild goose chase until she found him again. If he wasn’t still practicing, he was either in the library studying or in the music room, going over his part of Danse Macabre. He could also have been called in by his mother and father to be formally informed about the ball.

With a skip in her step, Hesychia was on her way to inform Orion about her achievements in learning how to waltz.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many skips (＠_＠)
> 
> I'm having a bit of an easier time now that Chia and Orion are older. This arc also gives me the excuse to bring in more characters! Erin still has to wait though.... ('When will Erin come home from the war?' I ask, knowing that I'm the one writing this thing)


	5. Visitors From A Foreign Star

For the next two weeks Orion would slowly leave their music lessons earlier and earlier than either Hesychia or their teacher would have liked. And everytime he would leave, Hesychia would stay longer to make sure her part was as perfect as it could be. From her music lessons it was straight to the ballroom for her waltz lessons with Charis, which is where she was currently.

“Is something on your mind Chia?” Charis asked as she spun Hesychia around the floor. She was looking down with a sour expression on her face. She had gotten to the point where she didn’t need to look at her feet anymore, so Charis must have assumed that something was wrong with the girl.

“The ball is supposed to be in three days right?” Charis nodded. “And the Bestian delegates are supposed to arrive sometime between tonight and the morning of the ball?” Charis nodded again.

“Don’t tell me your nervous.” Charis said. Hesychia looked up and at the ceiling.

“Not in a way that you might think.” Charis stopped abruptly, causing Hesychia to stumble. She pulled the young girl out of the hold and set her hands on her waist.

“Is this about the Prince?” Hesychia nodded. It was rather embarrassing for Hesychia to admit, but she wanted this performance to be perfect, and she felt like Orion wasn’t giving his all into it.

“Whatever’s going on you should tell him.”

“I don’t know how!” How do you tell someone that you feel dissatisfied with their lack of effort in practice? Even though they were friends, there was still a hierarchy between them. She couldn’t just tell Orion to put more effort into practicing Danse Macabre for the ball.

“Chia, you’re his friend. He’ll listen to you.”

“Are you sure?” Charis nodded. Hesychia cupped her hands and up them her chest, stopping them right beside her heart. They were friends, and friends listened to each other. When they were together, Orion wasn’t a prince, but a regular person. He was her best friend, and if she wasn’t happy, she had the right to say so.

“Do you know where he is?”

“Probably in the garden. Are you going to go see him?” Hesychia nodded.

“Thank you again Charis!” With that, Hesychia rushed out of the ballroom, leaving the older person confused. Charis shook her head, muttering _kids these days_ and left the ballroom.

*-*-*

Hesychia ran out into the garden, right where she suspected where Orion would be. She turned around a corner and saw Orion sparing with an unknown person. The stranger had brown hair and was dressed in a colorful display of red and orange, accented with gold and teal. What really caught Hesychia’s attention was the set of ears that sat on top of his head and the tail that swished around as he moved. He must have been on of the Bestian delegates.

Hesychia slowly moved and sat down in her usual spot. She tucked her legs under her skirt and watched enthusiastically as the two males sparred.

Hesychia always loved watching Orion spar, he looked graceful as he moved. Yet, he seemed to move clunky compared to the Bestian. He moved almost like he was born to fight, like to pick up a sword was more of a 6th sense to him than it was second nature to Orion.

The stranger kicked his leg under Orion’s, causing the prince to fall on his behind and drop his sword. The end of the opposing sword sat right above Orion’s chin.

“I won.” The Bestian smiled, his tail swishing around happily.

“Yeah yeah.” The stranger moved his sword away from Orion and helped him up. Orion took his outstretched hand with a loud clap. Orion didn’t seem to be upset with his loss, he seemed almost happy about it. The two boys became aware of Hesychia’s presence when she began to clap.

“Chia?” Orion asked, his voice going up an octave. “Did you see that?”

“Some of it. You looked cool as always Orion.” Hesychia got up and dusted the back of her skirt. Orion looked away, his face painted a light rosy hue. Hesychia picked up Orion’s sword and handed it back to him.

“Chia, this is Fang. He’s one of the Bestian Delegates.” Orion introduced the stranger. “Fang, this is Hesychia, she’s the daughter of my father’s adviser.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Fang.” Hesychia curtsied.

“The pleasure is all mine Lady Hesychia.” Fang smiled. He took her hand and kissed the back of it gently. Hesychia’s face lit up, being completely taken over with a dark red color. Orion chopped his hand between the exchange, bitterness covering his face.

Fang laughed and Hesychia pulled her hand to her chest. She could feel the blood pumping in her ears and how fast her heart was beating. Fang was undeniably attractive, he had a handsome face and looked incredibly strong. Sure you could say the same thing about Orion, but Hesychia saw him everyday so she was used to his handsome face. Her heart almost stopped when she first heard him after he hit puberty, and she still wasn’t exactly used to how deep and rich his voice had gotten.

“Y-you can call me Chia to, if you’d like.” Hesychia refused to make eye contact with Fang. When she looked up at Orion, she saw a large scowl on his face. What had she done to upset him?

“Is something wrong Orion?”

“Nothing.” Orion looked away. “We should head to the throne room, our parents are probably waiting.” Orion spun on his heel and made his way back inside the palace.

“Come along Chia.” Fang called smiling. Hesychia followed and caught up to Fang’s long stride. They kept their distance from Orion, walking a few feet away from the host Prince.

“So what’s your relationship with Prince Orion?” Fang asked as they stepped inside the palace.

“Orion’s my best friend.” Hesychia smiled. It wasn’t a lie and it felt good to say. “We tell eachother everything.”

“Is that so?” Fang smiled. It sent Hesychia’s heart racing. The young girl hesitantly nodded. She would probably never get used to such a handsome face smiling at her.

“What’s holding you two up?” Orion called out. “Father isn’t going to be happy if we’re late!”

“We’ll be there in a moment!” Fang called out. Orion huffed and kept on going. “You know, just between you and me, I think Orion feels the same way.” He winked at Hesychia and sped up his stride, catching up with Orion. Hesychia stopped walking altogether and stood still in the middle of the corridor. Of course Orion felt the same about her, they were friends. He was her first real friend, and she likely was his first real friend too. There bond was unbreakable.

“Chia, you coming?” Orion asked, snapping her out of her trance.

“Coming!” Hesychia shook her head and caught up to the two boys.

*-*-*

When the three of them stepped inside the throne room, the first thing they were greeted with was the Queen’s gaze. She looked over at her son, Fang and Hesychia with a smile. The Laman monarchs where sitting on their throne, Themis standing to the King’s left and the Queen’s attendant standing to her right. The Bestian delegates stood at the base of the thrones, one man and one woman. Like Fang, they had brown hair and where dressed in warm colors.

“Here come the children now.” Queen Hespera said, watching as Orion took his place next to his father, and Hesychia joined Themis on his left. Fang stood behind the two other delegates.

“We were just talking about you.” The Bestian woman said, looking at Fang. She had a warm look on her face, the same look Queen Hespera would sometimes give Hesychia. Like a mother looking at her child.

“I hope they were all good things Mother.” Fang said. So they were his parents.

“Of course.” His mother said.

“Ah, how rude of us.” Fang’s father said, pulling the younger male closer to the thrones. “This is our son, Fang.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, your majesty.” Fang bowed.

“The pleasure is ours Fang.” Queen Hespera said.

“This is our own son, Orion.” King Kratos said, placing his shoulder onto Orion’s. Ever since Pallas had taken over as Orion’s sword fighting teacher, King Kratos grew proud of Orion’s newfound strength in combat. It always reminded Hesychia of how he favored military power over all else, and she didn’t like it. She didn’t really like King Kratos in the first place anyway.

“The cute little girl over there is the one we’ve told you about, Lady Hesychia.” Queen Hespera said, formally introducing Hesychia.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Hesychia bowed.

“She looks so much like her father!” Fang’s mother cooed.

“Thank you very much.” Hesychia smiled. She was used to being compared to her late mother, hearing about her resemblance to her father left her very happy. Themis put his hand on Hesychia’s shoulder and smiled. He seemed to be pleased as well.

“Well, now that we’re all acquainted, let’s head out into the garden to discuss the details of the trading agreements.” Queen Hespera said. She motioned for her attendant to come closer. “Pheme, will you prepare tea and cakes for us?”

“Of course my Queen.” Pheme said, and joined the others as they left the throne room.

“I don’t understand why we need to discuss this in the garden.” King Kratos said. Hesychia hoped Fang and his parents couldn’t hear him.

“It’s lovely outside and Bestians are known for loving the outdoors.” Queen Hespera said through her teeth. “Did you even read over the documents I gave you?” Hesychia listened as the King and Queen argued behind the delegates backs. They seemed to be arguing a lot lately, more than usual anyway. It wasn’t a secret that the monarchs never got along, but they seemed to be more on edge over the past few months. It didn’t take much to set them off, and luckily the arguments never got violent. Still, it never settled well with Hesychia how much they’ve been arguing.

Orion looked over at Hesychia and raised an eyebrow. Hesychia shrugged and continued to follow the party out to the royal gardens.

*-*-*

When the day was done and when the adults felt like they had enough ground on their trade deals, the children were sent to bed. Hesychia stood in her room, sitting in front of the fireplace and cradling her stuffed rabbit. In the end, she never told Orion about his lack of effort on Danse Macabre. The ball was in three days! She didn’t want to embarrass the royal family by half-assing a performance in front of monarchs and other high ranking officials from other Stars. If she didn’t get it done now, she never would. Hesychia got up and left her room, leaving her rabbit on the bed.

When she reached Orion’s room, she brought her fist to the door and knocked.

“One moment.” Orion called out. He opened the door, holding his violin and it’s bow in his hand. “Chia, what brings you here?”

“It’s about Danse Macabre.” Hesychia looked down at the wooden instrument in his hand. Was he practicing this late at night? Why didn’t she hear him? “Do you wanna practice together?”

“Sure, of course.” Orion stepped out of his room and closed the door. “I’m sorry I’ve been skipping out on our lessons. Pallas he-”

“He values combat over all else?” Orion nodded. Just like the rest of the nobles on Lama. “If I could, I would spend more time playing with you. I mean it.”

Hesychia’s face lit up with embarrassment. How could he say something like that so casually? Orion laughed and ruffled her hair.

“Come on, let’s go before we get caught.” Orion walked off to the music room. Hesychia watched as he walked off, and with a smile on her face, she raced after him, telling him to wait for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pallas: "The Titan god of warcraft and of the springtime campaign season"
> 
> Pheme (Queen Hespra's attendant): "The goddess of fame, gossip and renown. Her favour is notability, and her wrath is scandalous rumors"
> 
> We'll have the ball next chapter! Let's see all the characters I can cram into one chapter (Fang's parents will also be given names next chapter)


	6. Les Patineurs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while
> 
> Introducing another character, this time it's Tsumugi's childhood friend Kurosaki Makoto. He's a cutie and I love him. His name is Cerus

The next few days passed without much trouble. Orion mostly spent time with Fang, probably delighted to spend time with someone around his own age. In return, Hesychia spent more time with some of the servant children. Particularly Cerus, the son of one of the maids. He was older than her by two years, and became sort of like her older brother, alongside the Prince. Whenever Orion was busy with his usual work, Hesychia and Cerus would play together.

Currently, Hesychia and Cerus where in the former’s room, watching as the girl got fitted for the ball that night. Hesychia stood in front of a large, full body three sided mirror, watching Cerus’s mother dress her in the clothes she was supposed to wear.

Traditional Laman clothing was black. Hesychia never liked all the black that surrounded Lama. Almost everything was black, from the buildings to the clothes commoners wore. The dirt was almost black from all the iron in the soil. The only other bit of color were the flowers that bloomed outside. She liked the pink ones the best.

Her dress couldn’t even be considered a dress. It wasn’t like the ones that Queen Hespera wore. It was military jacket lined with golden thread, matching the buttons that fasten the coat together which where set in two rows of three. She wore a full sleeved collared shirt underneath, and the skirt of her outfit rested at her waist and stopped at her knees. To cover the rest of her legs, Hesychia wore white tights and black flats that buckled across the top of her feet to complete the look. A white bow popped out from underneath the coat for a cuteness factor. A small, teal jewel was clipped onto the knot of the ribbon.

“How does she look Cerus?” The boy’s mother asked, turning Hesychia around to look at her friend.

“She looks like a noble.” Cerus said, clearly displeased with her appearance for the ball, an event he couldn’t attend.

“I am a noble, Cerus.” Hesychia responded, looking away from her friend. She didn’t like her noble roots, but it was the only reason most gave her the time of day. Her mother had been a close confidant of the Royal Family, Queen Hespra in particular. Her father told her that they were best friends. He hardly remembered a time when they weren't together, and were only fully separated when Asteria had fallen ill shortly after Hesychia was born.

“I know that!” Cerus barked “But now you look the part.” He said softly. Cerus never liked the nobles in the palace. They were all rude to him and his mother, with the exception of Hesychia, Themis and Orion when they interacted. Queen Hespera and King Kratos never interacted with the servants, despite the Queen wanting to. She always said that it was a good idea to be on good terms with those who worked underneath you, so their respect doesn’t come out of fear but genuine fondness. King Kratos would always shoot her down, saying that if she wanted to be with the servants so much, she can resign the throne.

“Come on now Chia, let’s get your hair done for tonight.” Cerus’s mother sat the girl down in front of a vanity and began to brush her hair. Hesychia always liked it when people would brush and style her hair. It always felt so nice to have someone playing with her golden locks. Cerus’s mother pulled her hair back into a low bun, leaving her bangs alone. She then tied a black ribbon in her hair, set in the shape of a bow.

“And we are all done!” The older woman said. Hesychia turned her head to try to get a full look of her hair, her pink eyes sparkling as she did so.

“Chia can be such a girl sometimes!” Cerus said from his placement on her bed. His words didn’t hold any ill intent.

“I am a girl!” Hesychia turned to look at her friend and pouted. Was it a crime for a girl to like ribbons and bows? Cerus began to laugh, finding Hesychia’s reactions funny. He liked to tease her as much as he could. It always annoyed her when Orion would join in on the teasing, she felt ganged up on.

“We still have a few hours until the ball, how about you go see if the Prince wants to practice your piece for tonight?” Cerus’ mother suggested. With a smile on her face, Hesychia left the room, and Cerus followed her. He probably had nothing better to do with his time anyway.

Cerus and Orion could be considered good friends, it wasn’t very often that Hesychia saw the servant boy hanging out with Orion, probably because of the latter’s father. He never liked Orion mingling with the staff, and probably only approved of his friendship with Hesychia because of her noble blood.

“You know,” Cerus said as they went to try to find Orion (who was probably in the gardens) “since you’re a noble you can have an attendant.” What an odd topic of conversation to have.

“I know.” Hesychia said. Her father had talked to her about having an attendant appointed to her when she turned 16. It was customary for a noble on every star to receive an attendant. The Royal Families would have one appointed a birth and they would grow up with them. Orion seemed to be the odd one out, he didn’t have an attendant yet. He will have to have one appointed before he is allowed to take the throne.

“D-do you have someone in mind?” Cerus asked. Hesychia looked over at the boy.

“I won’t be allowed to pick my own attendant. Father most likely will.” Cerus’s face fell a bit. “But if I got to pick one myself, I would choose you in a heartbeat.” Hesychia smiled at Cerus, causing the boy to blush and look away. Hesychia trusted Cerus as much as she trusted Orion, so it made sense to them that Hesychia would choose him as her attendant.

“Who said I wanted to be your attendant? Stupid.” Cerus flicked Hesychia’s forehead. He can be such a tsundere sometimes.

“You were the one who brought up attendants.” Hesychia laughed. Cerus rolled his eyes. This type of banter was typical for them. He would say something brash and she would smile at him without a care in the world. That was just how they where. They worked like a well oiled machine, without a single interruption in their routine.

“Yeah yeah give me a break will ya?” Cerus said, placing his hands behind his head.

“Nope~!” Hesychia said, smiling.

*-*-*

Cerus and Hesychia found Orion in the gardens with his mother and her attendant. They were sitting in the gazebo, drinking tea and eating cake. Neither Fang nor his parents where with them.

“Good afternoon Chia.” The queen greeted when the two came close. “Is that your outfit for the ball tonight?”

“Yes ma’am.” Hesychia smiled. Queen Hespera looked over at Cerus and smiled.

“And who is this? A friend of yours Chia?”

“Y-yes my Queen.” The boy bowed. “My name is Cerus, my mother is a maid and my father is a cook.” The queen invited Hesychia and Cerus to join them for tea and cake. Cerus tried to refuse at first, not feeling welcome in the Queen’s presence and acting so familiar with her. The woman only smiled, saying that a _friend of my dear Chia is always welcome_.

“Are you two excited for tonight?” Queen Hespera asked Hesychia and Orion. He wasn’t dressed for the party yet, he still wore his normal clothing. There were some grass stains on his pants, meaning he had most likely finished his lessons with Pallas. Or he was sparring with Fang again before being called to his mother’s side.

“I am a bit excited yes.” Orion said. He looked over at Hesychia and smiled. This was the first time she would join him at one of his mother’s balls. He would usually complain about how boring and stuffy they where to Hesychia the next day. As the prince, he was expected to attend every one of them from a young age. He never liked the ‘interacting with others’ part of the diplomatic experience, but he needed that knowledge if he was going to lead Lama to great heights.

“It’s my first ball so I am a bit nervous.” Hesychia said, placing her hands in her lap and wringing them around. She was more than a bit nervous in reality. She was going to be someone representing Lama tonight. She wanted to leave a good impression on those who would be around her age attending. If they liked her, then maybe she could be a link between Lama and foreign stars.

“You’ll be fine Chia.” Queen Hespera placed her hand on Hesychia’s back and rubbed circles into it. Cerus dropped his fork along with the piece of cake that was attached to it. Cerus looked over at Orion, silently asking for clarification. Orion leaned over and explained that his mother had taken a liking to Hesychia. In all the years that they had known each other, Cerus didn’t know that the Queen treated her like her own child?

“Thank you ma’am.” Pheme handed Hesychia a piece of cake and the girl took a bite of the strawberry shortcake. She always liked the shortcake that the Royal baker made. He was good friend of her fathers and loved to treat the children in the palace. He always made sure to put extra cream and strawberries on her cake. Rumor had it that Orion also liked cake with lots of cream, but Hesychia rarely saw him eat sweets like cake. It was generally assumed that the prince didn’t like sweets.

“Is the cake to your liking Cerus?” Queen Hespera asked. The young boy quickly swallowed the piece that he had on his fork and nodded.

“Yes my Queen.” The Queen smiled and took a sip of her tea. Since Cerus was of the servant class, he didn’t get very many opportunities to eat sweets like cake. Sometimes the baker would slip him some cookies but that was becoming more rare as he grew older. Now at age 14, he was expected to do more work, but was always excused from it whenever Hesychia asked him to play.

“That’s wonderful.” Queen Hespera said as she set down her tea cup. “Now, what reason did you two decided to come out to the gardens?”

“I wanted to ask Orion if he wanted to practice Danse Macabre before the ball tonight.” Hesychia said. “I guess I forgot when you asked us for cake.”

“You are easily distracted by sweets.” Orion said as he took a sip of his tea. Hesychia pouted, not appreciating being called out like that.

“I am not!”

“If you had to choose between cake or pie what would you choose?” Orion asked, grinning. He was dead set on winning this argument. Hesychia sat back on the gazebo bench, lost in thought about her decision. She liked both but…

“Both.”

“My point exactly.”

Cerus laughed and Hesychia slumped down on the bench, trying to hide underneath the table. Queen Hespera hid a smile behind her hand.

“Well, I do suppose you two should practice.” Queen Hespera said. “I’ll stay here with Cerus while you two head up to the music room.” Cerus choked on his piece of cake. Him, staying with the Queen and her attendant?

“Are you sure you want me to stay your Majesty?” Cerus asked, obviously a bit nervous. He would be with the Queen alone for the first time in his life. Queen Hespera nodded.

“Of course!”

With a wave of her hand, the Queen dismissed Orion and Hesychia.

“I think mother might have adopted a new son.” Orion whispered to Hesychia when he was sure they were out of earshot.

“It seems so…”

*-*-*

“Are you worried about Cerus?” Orion asked as he tuned his violin in the music room. “Also can you play a c for me?”

“He’s in good hands. If the Queen does anything drastic, Pheme will intervine.” Hesychia said as she pressed the Middle C key for Orion. Pheme may not make her presence known very often, but she was one of the most trustworthy people in the castle. She knew more about the inner workings of the castle than anyone else.

“I know but you know how mother can be.” Orion said as he ran his his bow over the strings of the violin.

“The Queen can be a bit…”

“Drastic?”

“Yeah, that.” It never felt right for Hesychia to say anything negative about the Queen. She was much more bright and easy to be around than her husband. It seemed almost like King Kratos didn’t enjoy being around anyone. Queen Hespera had always treated Hesychia like her own child, but she always guessed it was because of her late mother. Hesychia was the last remaining part of Asteria.

“Is there any part you want us to go over?” Orion asked once he was fully tuned.

“We’ll just start at the beginning.” Hesychia placed her hands at the keys, and counted them off.

*-*-*

After several hours of practicing and making sure their piece was perfect for the ball, Orion left to get ready for the ball. Cerus managed to escape from the Queen and joined Hesychia in her room.

“Queen Hespera didn’t do anything to upset you did she?” Hesychia asked her friend, checking to make sure he hadn’t been hurt. As if he could get hurt when she was just talking to him.

“No, but she did seem interested in my life’s story.” Cerus said after he managed to get Hesychia to calm down. Hesychia sighed in relief. So she was just curious.

“That’s good.”

“I felt like I was being interrogated by the witch from Hansel and Gretel.” Cerus went on to explain how she and Pheme kept giving him cake. He felt like he was going to burst by the time they had to leave to get the queen prepared for the ball. “She did tell me to give these to you by the way.”

Cerus handed Hesychia a pair of white gloves. The fabric left like silk in her palms. Hesychia slipped on the white gloves and marveled at the perfect fit.

“She said they were hers when she was your age and was saving them for when she had a daughter.” Cerus said “Since Prince Orion is her only child, and she doubts King Kratos will allow her to try for a daughter, she wanted to give them to you.”

Hesychia held her hands close to her chest and smiled. “I feel almost indebted to her now.”

A knock on the door brought their attention away from the gloves. Cerus walked over to the door and opened it before Hesychia could even attempt at it.

Themis stood in the doorway, dressed in his party clothes. His party clothes consisted of  standard military attire, a black coat accented with gold thread and buttons. He wore a black tie with a teal jewel clipped to conceal the knot. Gold tassels hung off his shoulders and his black shoes where freshly shined.

“Father!” Hesychia ran over to Themis and threw her arms around the older man’s frame. He wrapped his arms around Hesychia, returning her embrace.

“Hesychia sweetie you look wonderful.”

“Thank you father!” It always felt nice to be complemented by Themis.

“Cerus it’s good to see you again.” Themis smiled at the young boy. Cerus smiled and bowed to the advisor.

“The pleasure is mine Lord Themis.” The two began to laugh at the stifling formalities. Themis had told Cerus to forget all about formalities long ago. It had become almost like an inside joke for them to refer to each other this way behind the backs of prying eyes.

“Are you ready to go Hesychia?” Themis asked. She looked back Cerus who nodded.

“I’m ready.”

“Then let’s go.” Themis held out his arm for Hesychia to take. When they were connected at the elbows, Themis lead Hesychia off to the ballroom.

*-*-*

Hesychia had never seen the ballroom this populated. The room was filled to the brim with people, all of which were wearing clothing of their respective stars. Many wore Laman clothing, but Hesychia could catch the signature warm colors Fang and his parents wore. An orchestra was playing a slow waltz tune in their corner of the floor. Hesychia looked up to see the King and Queen sitting in their thrones on the balcony of the ballroom. Queen Hespera smiled and waved when they made eye contact.

“Announcing the arrival of Lord Themis and his daughter, Lady Hesychia.” One of the guards announced as they entered the ballroom. Hesychia removed her arm from Themis and went to greet Fang.

“Well look at you!” Fang smiled, a glass of wine in hand. He was only a year older than Orion and he already looked comfortable with the drink that Hesychia had yet to try. “You look absolutely beautiful Chia.”

“Thank you Fang!” Hesychia smiled and blushed. Fang himself didn’t look much different than when he arrived, still dressed in the warm reds and oranges that Hesychia loved. He looked very handsome Hesychia didn’t really know how to handle it. “You look handsome as well.”

“Why thank you Chia.” Fang smiled and Hesychia swore her heart skipped a beat. “You haven’t seen Orion around have you?”

“Not since this afternoon.”

“I see.” Fang looked around, his right ear twitching. Hesychia wanted to see what would happen if she scratched behind it, but she kept that thought to herself. This was a public affair after all. “I haven’t seen him since this morning. I assumed he was with you.”

“I don’t know where he went after we left the music room.”

“That’s right, you two are performing a song for us tonight aren’t you?” Hesychia nodded. “Well, I’ll let you mingle, I’m gonna go try to find my parents. Save me a dance okay?” With a wink, Fang disappeared into the crowd. When she was sure Fang could no longer see her, she sighed in relief.

“He’s way to handsome for me sometimes.” The guards announced another arrival to the ballroom. Hesychia wondered around until she came across the snack table.

On the table there were numerous bottles of wines, champaines and juices, along with fresh fruits and cheeses. The one thing on the table that caught her eye where chocolates shaped like little rabbits. She always loved rabbits.

“You like them too right?” A new voice asked. Hesychia turned around to see a young boy with orange hair and eyes. He wore a dark purple vest accented with gold over a white shirt. His pants matched the color of his vest and tucked into a pair of boots that were covered with a light plate of silver iron. A coat with a long trail draped over his shoulders. A circular, diamond earring sat in the lobe of his left ear. He wasn’t Laman, that much as true. Never once had Hesychia ever seen a Laman dress like this. Not many male Lamans had their ears pierced either.

“I do!” Hesychia smiled. The boy smiled back.

“I think they’re truffles.” The boy picked up one of the rabbits. “But they’re so cute I almost feel bad about eating them.”

“It’s hard to eat things shaped as something you like.”

“That’s true that’s true.” The boy nodded. “I’m Carnelian, Crown Prince of Alba.”

“My name is Hesychia, a Lady of Lama. It’s a pleasure to meet you Prince Carnelian.” The young girl bowed. She never met another monarch outside of the Laman Royal Family. Surprisingly she wasn’t as nervous as she thought she would be. Alba held a very strong alliance with Lama. They aided Alba in their war against Eterno shortly after Hesychia became a resident of the palace. They never told her why the normally aloof Alba went to war with the peaceful Eterno, and she doubts they would tell her even now, when she was old enough to understand reason and conflict.

“The pleasure is all mine Lady Hesychia.” Prince Carnelian took her left hand into his and kissed the back of the glove. Very much like with Fang, Hesychia’s heart leapt into her throat. If every noble she met did this, she might never get used to it. She gave a small smile at the greeting.

Prince Carnelian gently released Hesychia’s hand.

“If I may ask, why is the Crown Prince of Alba here?” Hesychia wondered.

“The Queen had invited my father and myself.” Prince Carnelian’s face fell slightly. Hesychia wondered if he was on good terms with his father, and guessed he did not.

“I see.”

“And why are you here?” There was no malice in his words, or any form of distaste. “I’ve only attended one of the Queen’s balls and I’ve never seen you before.”

“My father is the Royal Advisor. I live here in the palace.”

“Do you know how to dance?” Prince Carnelian asked. Hesychia nodded. “Then may I have the honor of having this dance Lady Hesychia?”

Her, dance with the prince of Alba? She was eager to test out her newfound skills in the waltz, so why not?

“It would be my honor.” With a smile, Prince Carnelian lead Hesychia to the dance floor.

*-*-*

Hesychia found herself having a marvelous time at the ball. She had three dances with Prince Carnelian (he wasn’t the best dancer but he was still fun to dance with), two with her father, one with Pheme (of all people), one with Charis and her promised dance with Fang which turned into four. She hadn’t seen Orion all night, despite trying to find him. She desperately wanted to dance with him, to show him how good of a dancer she was. He was probably off with his parents or talking to royal officials off the dance floor.

“Are you having fun sweetheart?” Themis asked, a glass of wine in hand (his fourth that night).

“Of course!” A smile was on her face but it didn’t reach her eyes. She wasn’t even looking at Themis, she was still trying to find Orion. She wanted to get one dance in with Orion before their performance. After that she wasn’t required to stay so she would head straight to bed unless someone wanted to speak to her. “Have you seen Prince Orion?”

“Last time I saw him he was talking to some nobles. Why?”

The last thing Hesychia wanted to tell her father was that she wanted to dance with Orion. He wasn’t exactly pleased when he found her dancing with Prince Carnelian (who had since returned to his father’s side and was most likely speaking with the King and Queen).

“I just wanted to talk to him about some of the pacing in Danse Macabre. That’s all.” Hesychia laughed nervously. They had the piece worked to perfection, so it was a clever lie. Everyone knew how worried about tonight Hesychia was. Themis seemed to have bought it and took a sip of his drink.

Hesychia took the lack of a response as permission to continue to look for her friend. She caught eye of his silver hair across the room. His back was turned to her, but Hesychia would recognise him anywhere. She told her father where she was going and chased after Orion. She was smiling, happy to have finally found him.

“Orion!” Hesychia called out, trying to gain his attention. The mentioned boy turned around. He looked handsome in his party clothes. His appearance was very similar to her father’s, the only difference was the beautifully embroidered design into the cuffs of his sleeves and the knee high boots he wore. His hair had been slicked back, but the thick strands of hair didn’t want to cooperate with the gel, leaving it looking more messy than professional.

“Chia?”

“You seem surprised to see me.”

“No not at all.” Orion smiled. His conversation partner had excused himself and went to dance with Pheme.

“You look lovely Orion.” Hesychia smiled.

“You do as well.” Hesychia felt her face heat up slightly. Her smile turned sheepish and she looked away.

“Thank you.” She said, her voice small.

“Would you like to dance?” Orion held out his hand to Hesychia. The girl turned to look into Orion’s steel eyes and smiled. Hesychia gently placed her hand in his, and he wrapped his fingers tightly around her hand as he lead her to the dance floor. Even from under her silk gloves, Hesychia could tell how warm his hands where. She could feel the rough calluses from years of swordsmanship on his hand scrape against the delicate fabric of the gloves.

When they reached the dance floor, the gentle tune the orchestra had been playing before slowed to a stop and began to play a new song. Hesychia placed her left hand on Orion’s shoulder, and he placed his right hand on her waist. Their hands clasped together and with a swift motion, Orion lead her across the floor. In gentle steps of three, Orion spun Hesychia around the dance floor, guiding her through the other dancing couples, making sure she never ran into anyone. Out of the corner of her eyes, Hesychia caught Prince Carnelian dancing with a girl around his age. When they made eye contact, they smiled. Hesychia looked up at Orion when Prince Carnelian turned away. The bright, candle light of the ballroom mixed with the moonlight casted a glow against his silver hair. His eyes shined under the light. He looked almost like an angel with the gentle smile on his face as he glided across the floor Hesychia. She could feel her heartbeat quicken, and blood pump to her cheeks, casting them in a pink glow.

When the music stopped, so did they. Hesychia was breathing more heavier than she should have. Maybe it was because of the way her heart was racing, or the physical movement of the waltz. She pulled away first.

“You’re a great dancer Chia.”

“Th-thank you.” Hesychia smiled. Orion looked like he was going to ask her for another dance, when the sound of silver tapping on glass caught their attention. Queen Hespera stood in front of the orchestra’s chamber, holding a glass of white wine. She looked beautiful in a gown of pure black and her hair tied up. The black iron crown she wore was decorated with diamonds. She looked like a queen out of a fairytale.

“I would like to thank you all for coming tonight. I apologize for not being able to join the party.” She said with a laugh. “I do have a very special announcement to make. Tonight marks the third year anniversary of my son, Prince Orion, being coronated as Lama’s Crown Prince.” The crowd clapped and Orion raised and waved his hand. Hesychia remembered going to his coronation, but she wasn’t allowed to attend the afterparty. “As a treat, he and the beloved daughter of our own advisor will play a violin and piano duet for you all.” The crowd began to clap

Orion held out his hand for Hesychia to take. “You ready?”

Hesychia gently placed her hand into his. “As I’ll ever be.”

Orion lead Hesychia up to the orchestra chamber and crowd on the dancefloor parted for them. Each step she took was nerve wracking. She could feel a butterfly spread its wings in her stomach every time she took a step closer to the white grand piano that sat in the orchestra’s chamber.

“You nervous?” Orion whispered to Hesychia. She only nodded. She didn’t like to show weakness to Orion, but maybe that might have been her pride talking. “We’ll be fine. If you can play for my old man, you can play at a ball.”

With that single sentence, all of Hesychia’s nerves faded away. He did have the oddest way of encouraging her didn’t he?

When they reached the chamber, Orion let go of Hesychia’s hand and stopped at a raised stand. A servant handed him his violin. Hesychia tucked her skirt under her legs and sat down on the piano bench. Sheet music for Danse Macabre sat on the piano, but she doubted she would need it. She looked around and caught the eyes of Fang who smiled and mouthed _break a leg_ with a thumbs up. Prince Carnelian stood with the girl he was dancing with and nodded. Orion looked back at her and nodded. Hesychia put her hands on the keys, and with a quiet countoff, pressed her first key.

*-*-*

When Hesychia returned to her room after swimming in the praises of the guests, she felt like a giant weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Her party clothes had been long discarded and she wore her favorite nightgown. Holding her stuffed rabbit close to her chest, Hesychia took deep breaths, trying to process all that happened tonight.

She actually got to dance with Orion, and she didn’t do as bad as she thought she would. She received numerous praises from the quests at the ball, and Fang’s mother even asked her to play for them again if she ever visited Bestia. Prince Carnelian’s father even invited her to visit Alba and to _teach my son a few things_ (the more she thinks about it, it didn’t sound like praise). Overall, it was a good night. She only wished she got to dance with Orion more. There would always be more balls after all.

With a small smile on her face, Hesychia crawled under her covers and closed her eyes. She wanted to wake up early to see Fang before he left in the afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone gets this Welcome to the Ballroom reference I'm gonna kiss you
> 
> This might be the last chapter where Chia is 12. I might do a two year time skip for... plot relevance
> 
> Who else wants to talk about an overprotective Makoto trying to keep Gaku away from Tsumugi because of his reputation of being a womanizer?


	7. Attentive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TOUMA-SAN IS HERE! His name is Notus! Notus is an Anemoi (wind god) and Greek god of the south wind

When Hesychia was called into the Queen’s personal study, she wasn’t sure what she was expecting. Cerus walked beside her, listing off ideas as to what could be the reason behind the summon. Most of which were silly and didn’t help with her unsettling nerves. She hadn’t been summoned by the Queen herself before. If she had something she wanted to tell her, she would do so over tea in the garden or with her father in his office. She never stepped foot inside the Queen’s study.

“Maybe she has something to give you?”

“You already suggested that.” Hesychia said as they grew closer to the study. When they reached the oak doors that shielded the Queen’s study from prying eyes, she heard shouting coming from inside.

“Is that the King?” Cerus asked. Hesychia shrugged. It most likely was, only King Kratos would dare to raise his voice at the Queen. He was the only one who had the authority too. The two voices continued to shout, and when heavy footsteps walked closer to the door, Hesychia and Cerus moved out of the way of whoever was leaving.

King Kratos slammed the door open and when he saw the familiar blonde hair of Hesychia he turned to face her. Cerus went to hide behind a column that was holding a vase to avoid his terror. He wouldn’t raise a hand to Hesychia, but Cerus was a different story.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, his voice dripping with poison.

“T-the Queen summoned me.” King Kratos’ frown deepened. Without saying another word, King Kratos walked down the hall. Cerus poked his head out from behind the column once he heard King Kratos’ footsteps growing softer.

“I wonder what’s got his pan ties in a bunch.” Cerus said. Most of the Laman people didn’t like the King. The only ones who really did where of the upper class or a member of the military. The people favored the Queen more because of her interest in humanitarian work. Some part of Hesychia guessed that this obvious favoritism was a result of the tension between the King and Queen.

“I don’t know…” Hesychia looked over at the wooden doors and hesitantly knocked.

“Who is it?” Queen Hespera asked. It sounded like she was at her desk.

“I-it’s me Your Majesty, Hesychia.”

“Come in.” Hesychia held up her hand, silently telling Cerus to stay outside the door. She opened the door and stepped inside the study.

The Queen’s study was more grand than Hesychia thought it would have been. The entire room was larger than her bedroom and was covered with wooden planks, hiding the black iron walls. Bookshelves lined the walls, and a grand fireplace was lit on the right wall. A plush green rug covered the floor underneath a set of couches and a table. A tea set sat on the table, one of the cups was already filled. Behind the Queen’s desk sat numerous tall windows, flooding in light that the fireplace couldn’t fill.

“You wanted to see me My Queen?”

“Yes. Please, take a seat.” Hesychia sat down on one of the leather couches and crossed her legs. “I wanted to speak with you about something important. Your father and I have been talking about this since the ball that you and my son first performed at.”

Hesychia thought back on the ball from two years ago. She had been invited to several since, including Orion’s 16th birthday party. She thought for a moment as to what Queen Hespera had discussed with Themis.

“We’ve decided it was time you had an Attendant.” Hesychia’s heart stopped beating for a moment.

“I-I can have an Attendant?” Queen Hespera nodded.

“I’m taking Orion with me on a trip to our summer home next week. He’ll be turning eighteen soon, and he’ll have to begin his mandatory Military enlistment at the end of August. This may be his last chance to have some time to relax before he leaves. Of course since you and him are attached at the hip, you’ll be joining us.” Hesychia has been dreading the notion of Orion leaving for his military enlistment. It was mandatory that all ablebody males when they reach the age of eighteen where to go train for the military and serve for three years, no matter the social status. It was the only time when nobles and commoners interacted, the only difference was that the nobles were given more respect and offered higher ranks before the commoners. There was no doubt in Hesychia’s mind that Orion would be placed as a General or higher based on his Royal Blood alone.

“If I may ask, how does that relate to me having an Attendant?” Hesychia asked. Queen Hespera got up from her seat at the desk and sat down at the couch adjacent from Hesychia. She lifted the teapot and poured a cup of tea. She handed the newly filled cup to Hesychia and took the one that was already filled.

“We’ll be using this trip as a trial for one of our attendants in training. You’ll also be evaluated, but not as harshly as he is. We’ll want to see how well you work with an attendant of your own. He’ll act as your attendant during the trip, and depending on both of your results, he’ll continue his training with you.” Queen Hespera sipped her tea and smiled. Her smile dipped a little when she found that her tea was cold.

Hesychia looked down into her tea, lost in thought. She would have her own attendant, but only for his training? What would happen if she grew accustomed to him being there? When his training was finished, would she be allowed to appoint him as her attendant? She hoped he was nice. Attendants are usually chosen based on compatibility, the attendant and their Noble must be able to work together with little or no set backs, like with Queen Hespera and Pheme. 

Hesychia took a sip of her tea and set it down on a saucer. She looked up at Queen Hespera, an unusually stern look on her face. The Queen tilted her head at the expression. “I’ll do it!”

Queen Hespera clapped and smiled. “Excellent news! We’ll notify Notus at once! Oh Pheme?”

From seemingly out of nowhere, Pheme stepped out from behind a bookshelf and bowed.

“Of course, My Queen.” Pheme then left the room.

“Does she-”

“Yes.”

*-*-*

Hesychia was told to wait in the garden for her Attendant in Training. A tea set was placed on the gazebo table, complete with little tea cakes and cookies. Hesychia had taken the liberty to pour tea into the three cups provided. For the first time since coming to the Palace, she sat in the gazebo alone. Normally she would be here with either her father, the Queen or Orion and Cerus. She never liked being in the garden alone. Hesychia always thought that the garden’s beauty should be shared with others.

“I hope we hadn’t kept you waiting.” Pheme said, tearing Hesychia away from her thoughts. A young man, possibly Cerus’s age walked behind her. The first thing Hesychia noticed was his red hair. It wasn’t bright red, but a deep, dull red like a rose. His eyes where sharp and his irides where the same shade as his hair.

The young man, whom she guessed as Notus, wore more common clothing then what Hesychia was used to seeing in the palace. He wore a white buttoned shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, tucked into black pants and black boots with gold accents. The first two buttons of his shirt where left undone. Not unusual clothing giving the more humid weather of summer. 

Hesychia stood up and stepped out of the gazebo and walked closer to the walking pair. When the two came to a stop, Pheme put her hand on Notus’s back and pushed him forward. The young man stumbled a bit as he tried to regain his composure.

“Hesychia, this is Notus. He’ll be your attendant during the duration of his training.”

“I-it’s a pleasure to meet you Lady Hesychia.” Notus bowed.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Notus.” Hesychia bowed in response. “You don’t have to call me ‘Lady Hesychia’. My friends call me Chia.”

When Notus looked up at Hesychia, his face had a slight glow. “Am I really allowed to refer to you on such personal terms?” He looked to Pheme, who nodded.

“It is allowed yes, but only if the person you are serving gives you permission.” Some part of Hesychia guessed that Pheme was waiting for this permission from Queen Hespera. The other part of her told her that such a day may never come.

“Shall we have some tea?” Hesychia gestured to the gazebo. With a nod from Pheme, the three reentered the gazebo. Hesychia sat in the very middle, Pheme sat to her left and Notus to her right. Hesychia handed Pheme and Notus their cups and a tea cake.

“I hope they are to your liking.” Hesychia smiled at Notus.

“There was no need to do this La- Chia.” Notus seemed to be a fast learner. No wonder Queen Hespera assigned her to be Notus’s training partner. He might have been Pheme’s star pupil. It was Pheme’s job to train new attendants. Most of them were from merchant families. On the hierarchy, Merchants were more wealthy than the commoners, but nowhere near as rich as the nobility. They served as the middle ground, a subtle ‘this is where you could be’ to both the upper and lower classes. Parents would have their children train to become attendants for a chance at a better life. Regardless however, they still remained a middle class citizen unless they married someone of the family they worked for. It was more common for female nobles to marry their attendants if they were around the same age. Being an attendant in training was also a ‘get out of military work free’ card, as most nobles refused to part with their attendant. The only thing that was stopping Hesychia from appointing Orion her attendant was social status. In reality, their roles would be reversed.

“I did it because I wanted to!” Hesychia smiled. Notus nibbled on a tea cake with a sour expression and a blush on his face. What a cute reaction.

“Hesychia I would like to go into more detail about having an attendant.” Pheme began. Hesychia nodded, her tea cup in her hand.

Pheme went into extravagant detail about having an attendant. Attendants could do a multitude of things. For his training, Notus would be more of a personal maid than most attendants. In the morning, we would be responsible for getting Hesychia up, bringing her breakfast and picking her clothes for the day. If Hesychia so desired, he would also do her hair. Notus would help her with her lessons in the afternoon and in the evening after dinner he would help her prepare for bed. He would pick out her night clothing and help her into bed. He wouldn’t return to her room until the next morning to repeat the process all over again.

“Since you don’t have a very high ranking position, Notus cannot assist you the same way I assist Queen Hespera.”  Pheme said, placing down her tea cup after taking a sip of the tea. Hesychia looked at Notus out of the corner of her eyes. He was nibbling on a cookie this time. Hesychia wondered if Notus liked sweets. She would ask him later, when Pheme wasn’t around. If he did, she could share with him her favorite cake.

“I understand.” Hesychia did feel bad for Notus. He was in training to be an attendant, not to be a hand maid. She wished she would have a higher position so he wouldn’t have to wait on her hand and foot. After he graduates from his training, Hesychia hopes he’ll be placed with someone of a higher rank than herself.

“I shall leave you two alone then.” Pheme scooted out of the gazebo, leaving behind a half finished cup of tea. Hesychia and Notus watched as Pheme disappeared from their sight. Hesychia scooted over to take over the spot that Pheme once occupied.

“So Notus, how about we get to know each other?” Hesychia said smiling. “I mean, we’ll be spending a lot of time together, so…” Hesychia could feel her resolve fading.

“Alright.” Notus gave her a small smile. If she wasn’t used to Orion’s miniscule smiles, she wouldn’t have even noticed it was there. “So what would you like to know?”

“How old are you?”

“Sixteen ma’am.” Ah, so he was Cerus’s age! 

They continued to go back and forth, asking and answering questions. Hesychia had learned that Notus’s family owned an iron mine and that he choose to become an attendant of his own free will. Notus does indeed like sweets, and he has a soft spot for animals. His family owns several pets, mostly dogs. He visits them over holidays and trained under Pheme for three years. Beforehand, he never stepped foot in the capital city. He doesn’t know how to play any instruments, but would like to learn music.

“I can teach you how to play the piano!” Hesychia smiled. She poured herself another cup of tea. How many cups has she drank since she began talking with Notus?

“It’s not instruments I’m interested in.” Notus said, scratching the back of his neck. Hesychia tilted her head.

“You want to learn how to sing?” She asked. Notus nodded shyly. Vocal music wasn’t very popular with Laman nobles. Well, neither was instrumental music but vocal music was seemingly less popular than a piano and a violin ever where. Singing was deemed as redundant, something that the frivolous subjects of Sirena enjoyed. Only a fool would enjoy singing.

“I’m sure you’re a wonderful singer Notus.” Hesychia smiled. Notus’s eyes widened and he looked away, his face a lighter shade of his hair.

“Th-thank you Chia.” He said with a smile on his face.

*-*-*

After they finished the entire pot of tea, Hesychia and Notus walked back into the palace. Notus held the tea set and would return it to the kitchen as soon as he could. Hesychia tried taking the tray from him, but Notus insisted on carrying it, saying  _ it isn’t fair for a lady to carry something this heavy.  _

“I heard you’re close with Prince Orion.” Notus said as they walked through the halls. “What’s he like?”

“Orion? He’s really nice!” Hesychia thought very fondly of him, it was evident based on how her face flustered slightly. “He’s a perfect gentleman too!”

Notus raised an eyebrow. Something seemed more than what it appeared to be. It was common knowledge that Hesychia had spent most of her childhood with the Prince. She was practically attached to his hip since she was six years old.

“Do, do you like Prince Orion, Chia?” Hesychia looked up at Notus and her face bloomed a bright red. Could she even feel how hot her face was?

“O-orion’s a good friend! Of course I like him.” Ah, she didn’t seem to understand his intentions. She was fourteen, she should be fully well aware of her own emotions and recognize if she had a romantic interest in Prince Orion. Seems like she was still a child at heart.

Notus sighed and readjusted the tray in his hands. This was going to be interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Orion's not here for once because I wanted to explore more of Chia's relationship with others. This arc is going to reveal some... secrets. Hidden agenda's are going to be exposed, and will help the meat and bones of this story, which is Orion and Chia getting together. If you have any ideas about how that will happen, crush them. Have no expectations on how they get together
> 
> Touma doesn't interact with Tsumugi much, he only really talks to her once and that's when he's trying to stop Torao from flirting with her. I have to imagine what their relationship would be like and how they would interact alone in canon
> 
> Now that Touma is in this, will I be adding a TouRiku subplot when I introduce Erin? Yes. Yes I will


	8. The Beginning Of The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back in business babey!
> 
> Chapters are probably going to be pretty short for a while, my laptop isn't working but I refuse to let this die and I'm writing on my phone, if that's why this chapter seems to be written differently than the others
> 
> I'm also in the process of editing the previous chapters, mainly to change Charis' from being referred to with gender neutral terms to being referred to as a woman. I haven't finished that yet so if you're reading this all for the first time that's why Anesagi is refered to as a woman in most chapters but then is referred to with gender neutral terms in later chapters

Notus looked at the door to the Queen's study curiously. After his brief meeting with Hesychia, he had been summoned to the Queen's private study while the girl had gone to her music lessons. Ignoring his Queen's call was rude, disrespectful even, and he would rather not get in trouble on his first day of field training.

So he knocked, as lightly as he could while still being loud enough to be heard.

"Come in." The Queen called. Notus opened the door to the study with bated breath. He found that the room was occupied with more than just the Queen. Pheme was in the room, standing behind Queen Hespera. Charis sat on one of the couches, a teapot in hand and pouring the contents into a cup. If these two where with them, then they weren't going to discuss Notus' first day on the job

 "Welcome Notus," Queen Hespera said "please take a seat."

Notus did as he was told. The door slammed shut behind him, and he sat across from Charis at the couches.

"Tea?" Charis suggested, which he politely declined. He had just gotten done drinking a full pot with Hesychia.

"We should get down the business then." Queen Hespera said, intertwining her fingers and placing them on her desk. "I assume we all know why I've summoned you here."

"Is this about your 'vacation'?" Charis asked, taking a sip of her tea.

"Exactly." Queen Hespera confirmed. "Of course my husband isn't on board with the idea of taking Orion away from the palace for so long, but we have more important matters to attend to than my son at the moment." Queen Hespera motioned for Pheme to take over.

Pheme stepped forward and stood in front of the queen's desk. "On the day that my Queen, myself, Prince Orion, Lady Chia and Notus will begin traveling, a weapon's shipment is supposed to be delivered to the rebel forces who have set up camp 100 miles from the Royal family's summer home. We will arrive at the summer home just after sundown."

"That's where you come in Notus." The Queen said. "After we have arrived we'll all eat and then you'll prepare Chia for bed. After she is asleep you'll sneak out to a clearing that serves as the halfway mark between the camp and the summer home." 

Notus nodded and the Queen continued. "From there, Erin will meet up with you and will confirm if the shipment has been delivered safely. He'll also hand you a letter from the general in charge about their next course of action."

"You are under no circumstances to be followed. If you feel like you are being tracked, you are to avoid the clearing at all possible. Erin has been authorized to kill anyone who is caught spying." Pheme said.

"Including the Prince or Chia?" Notus asked. Pheme nodded.

"Of course I would rather not have my own son killed but we need to do whatever we can to keep this rebellion a secret." Queen Hespera lamented "Neither the King or Orion must know what is going on."

"Then why are we bringing him along?" Notus asked. If there was a potential for the Crown Prince to be hurt, then why would he be brought along?

"The carriage will be traveling through numerous towns." Charis chimed "The goal is for Prince Orion and Chia to see the cruel environment that the people are forced to work under and desire them to want to change those conditions."

"Even if Orion is to far gone and can't have his mind changed, I know that Chia is pure hearted enough to know that it isn't right and desire change." Queen Hespera added, her voice falling sullen "It pains me that we might have to use her so cruelly."

"What do you mean?" Notus wondered. How could they use Hesychia in such a way that even pains the Queen? Pheme answered his question.

"If Prince Orion is unable to side with us, but Lady Chia is, then we'll arrange for Lady Chia and the Prince to marry. We'll have Prince Orion to take the throne and after Lady Chia gives birth to a son we'll-"

"Assassinate the Prince." Notus finished. Pheme nodded. Queen Hespera rested her head on top of her still intertwined fingers, her face casted down to the floor.

"I have no problem killing my husband but I so desperately wish I won't have to attend my own son's funeral." The Queen remarked. Everyone could hear the pain in her voice, it sounded like she would cry at any moment the longer she thought about it. Having to kill your own flesh and blood to see peace for your people wasn't a decision everyone has to make, and Notus regretfully felt relieved that he would never have to make that choice himself. His own kin would never be in danger as long as he didn't slip up.

"This meeting is dismissed." Queen Hespera said. Pheme watched as Notus and Charis filed out of the room. When the door closed softly behind them, the Queen sniffled and held her head up high. Pheme could see tear stains on her Queen's cheeks.

"We won't have to assassinate Prince Orion my Queen." Pheme said. She didn't dare to move from her spot.

"Are you sure?" Queen Hespera asked.

"I am sure of it. He'll see the damage that has been done eventually." She turned to face the queen. "I know my Prince will lead Lama to great heights and liberate his people."

Queen Hespera smiled, the smile that always came out when they were alone. The smile that made Pheme's heart race whenever it was directed at her. The smile she vowed to protect for as long as she lived.

"Thank you Pheme."

"I only speak the truth, my Queen." Pheme said. She walked closer and wiped away a few of the tears that still fell down Queen Hespera's cheeks. She wish she could do more to console the woman, hold her in her arms and keep her safe and secure but she had to mind her place as an attendant. Maybe someday, in a different time, she would be able to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I make Pheme a lesbian? Yes. Is her love for Queen Hespera unrequited? Also yes. Am I crying at the one-sided love I purposely decided to add? Definitely
> 
> Only a couple of more chapters until Erin arrives! I'm so excited I missed him so much

**Author's Note:**

> If you see any grammatical errors, or if anything doesn't flow easy please let me know!
> 
> Scream at me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/kiramochis/) for rewriting something that didn't need to be rewritten!


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